Freshmen
by JT4Life
Summary: Some of Olivia's thoughts and feelings during the last scene between her and Peter in 1x06 The Cure spoilers . Bolivia fic :D :::Disclaimer: I don't own Fringe, it belongs to J.J. and the crew!:::


_A/N: I watched The Cure which was amazing, but then i learned that there's a THREE WEEK BREAK until the next ep... and I decided that the only way would survive 3 weeks without new Fringe eps was if I wrote and read fanfics!! So, here's my newest. It's some of my ideas about what went through Olivia's head during that last sweet scene between her and Peter in front of the hotel. And I know the title might seem kinda random, but it'll (hopefully) make sense by the end of the story._

_Enjoy, and please leave a review! :)_

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**Freshmen**

"And remember tonight, please, the red toothbrush is mine," Peter reminded his father.

"White for Walter, that's me, right?" the scientist asked meekly.

"Right," Peter replied and clapped him on the back.

Olivia stood waiting as Walter smiled, mumbled a few things to himself and finally entered into the hotel lobby. Shaking his head, Peter guided Olivia over to the park bench that sat a few feet from the hotel's entrance. His hand came into contact with her back and she felt something inside her jump in response to his touch.

"Everything ok?" he asked and sat down. Olivia hesitated before sitting down, and then hesitated further before telling him what she'd come to say. But there was another issue that had to be addressed first.

"I know where you got your information about Claire Williams," she said, and then seeing Peter's look of confusion, continued, "What was the price? What did Nina Sharp want in return?"

He laughed and told her it was nothing, but she persisted. If he had made a deal with Nina Sharp, then Olivia wasn't sure if either of them fully knew what the consequences could be.

"Don't worry, I'm a big boy, I can take care of myself. You've been looking out for me so I'm just returning the favor." Olivia held back a gasp. Did he know how much she appreciated that? The fact that Peter had most likely endangered himself to simply help her out…. Gratitude rushed through Olivia like a fast-flowing river and she wished more than anything that she could show him how much she valued what he'd done. If only to touch his face or hold his hand, even though neither would be enough.

Yet all that she could muster was a simple "Thank you". For a moment, neither spoke a word, but Olivia could see all the feelings swimming just beneath the surface of Peter's beautiful green eyes. On this rare occasion when it was just the two of them alone together, Olivia found that she was far more open, almost frighteningly so. If she weren't around Peter, then letting her emotions show in the smallest possible fashion would leave her feeling self-conscious and awkward. His presence seemed to calm her, it always had.

"There was no letter today, was there?" Peter said softly, breaking the silence and startling Olivia. She glanced down, caught off guard by his question.

"No," she replied, and looked back up into his eyes. He smiled at her in a way that made the butterflies that had been in her stomach since that sunny morning in Iraq come to life. "Happy birthday," he said, his smile widening ever so slightly. Olivia could have stayed there at his side for hours, just gazing at his face and soaking up the warmth that he radiated- the feeling that she was important to someone she cared about much more than she should. But it was late. She would have work to do tomorrow.

Olivia rose abruptly. "You better get back upstairs before Walter falls asleep in your bed," she joked, despite the fact that she could hear the slight choke in her voice.

"Yeah…" Peter stood up too, if a bit reluctantly. "He has actually done that before, _while_ I was sleeping," Peter said as he walked by her on his way to the door, "not really something you want to wake up to." He had paused beside her less than a foot away. Olivia felt her pulse quicken and was suddenly unable to make eye contact with him. Peter's proximity to her was affecting her speech, and Olivia was unable to comment on his story.

Out of the corner of her eye, Olivia saw him grin at her, maybe his way of toying with her, before he continued on his way toward the door, their shoulders just brushing up against each other.

Olivia pulled herself together, turned and smiled at him. "Goodnight," she said, hopelessly trying to conceal her high school girl like manner.

Peter was already halfway through the door, but he poked his head out and said "Goodnight" anyways. She didn't turn around, but the way he said it, there was something about the way he spoke to her. Olivia couldn't pinpoint what it was, but there was a noticeable difference between the way he spoke to Walter, Astrid, Charlie, or anyone else, and the way he spoke to her.

If Olivia had turned to look at Peter once more before leaving, she would have seen that he'd watched her until she was in her car seat belt fastened and driving away safe and sound. She also would have blushed and giggled at the look on his face because it would have been similar to her own. He smiled the smile of a high school boy who didn't know how to ask the shy new girl out.

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_The end!_

_So... whaddaya think? ;)_


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